The Irish standard., 1887-10-01

toll or hazardous work: she bids him
nourish his wife and children with suit
able food, to clothe and house them
decently, to train and educate his child
ren, to know them and fulfil the duties
of father to them. How can he per-
form these duties when he is away from
them, toillng for starvation wages from
dawn to sunset, and is tagged and
weary when with them from sunset to
dawn: How can he care for his health
when foul air, long hours, scant food,
and heavy toll are sapping his man.
hoods strength. How can he supply
nutritious food, warm clothing, and de-
cent shelter to his children out of a
wage driven down to the lowest limit
by competition and superabundance OF
hands. How can he be a father to his
children when practically he only sees
them once ON a week day, and during
the we'll earned rest on the Sunday?
How eau he train their minds, form
their characters, be model to them,
and answer to GOD for the precious
trust that Hehas placed in his hands?
The Church in thus imposing these du-
ties upon him, implies capacity to full
fl them; she implies that the hours
shall not be so protracted as to take
him from the bosom of his family; she
implies that the labor itself shall not be
so excessive as to undermine his
health and unfit him for religious and
moral duties; she implies that his wages
shall be sufficient to suitably feed, clothe
and house his wife and little ones.
These are the very social problems that
are urgent, and on these points her
mind and teachings are clear and defn-
ite. She places higher value on NOR
al laws than on the laws of political
economy; she considers the health and
moral well-being of the laborer's
family Of greater Importance than
that 100000 more tons of coal
should be extracted from the
bowels Of the earth, or that 100000
more yards of mule-twist should be
turned out of the factory. However
clear the teaching of the Church on the
social problems may be. however anx-
ious she may be to repeatin the present
day her action in the past, she has not
been able as yet to cope with the mag
nitude of the evils. Even in Catholic
countries she has no means of influence
ing the great companies, and she has
little hope Of directing individual CAPT.
talists, for the ramifications Of COM
merce are intricate and beyond her con-
troll. But she is brought face to face
with the combinations and societies for
the protection of labor, and her atti-
tude towards these societies claims the
earnest attention of the Catholic. No
doubt can exist that she IS anxious that
the laborer should obtain his rights;
the right to his own support, the right
to maintain his family suitably, the
right to fulfil his family duties, the
right to fulfil his religious obligations,
and it is equally clear that she does not
object to combinations to obtain these
rights, since she sanctioned and identi-
fed herself with the craft guilds of the
middle ages. But the difficulty arises
in the nature of these combinations;
she cannot sanction injus' ice, she can
not sanction lawlessness, she cannot
sanction untenable theories Of COM
munism and socialism. She condemns
injustice alike in the employer and la
borer. If. these societies encourage
tyranny and persecute non. members,
inflict injury on innocent persons, des-
troy property, damage machinery, and
lead to riot and bloodshed. she is COM
pelled to hold aloof from them, and to
warn her children against participating
in injustice. The danger of these evils
is ever imminent in these societies, for